Hanoi...you Hannoy me!!!

Let's continue our journey with Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi.

 I must admit that right from the start Hanoi and I did not hit it off. It's small, narrow and crowded streets left me feeling claustrophobic and slightly anxious. Even the air felt different, the exhaust of the cars and motorbikes seemed to linger and get trapped between the buildings leaving it... at times... hard to breath. The initial vibe I got from the city was off and very reminiscent of my stay in Beijing... a feeling I would rather not experience again and one that I cannot fully explain.

The city itself is beautiful with a lot of historical sites to see, however for me it has always been the people who make the places I visit truly amazing. Much to my disappointment, I did not find most of the people we came in contact with to be overly friendly. In fact, I found the people we encountered to be either completely indifferent towards us foreigners (for the most part not even acknowledging our presence), or excessively eager to try and separate us from our money (we unfortunately came across a few different scams but nothing too serious). 

I do have to say that Hanoi, however, is a photographers (even a beginner one) paradise, there are amazing pictures waiting to be taken everywhere you look. I will say that I enjoyed hiding behind the lens of my camera while I was there and that I am grateful that I was able to take some really interesting pictures because I don't believe I will be returning to Hanoi (unless of course it is to catch the overnight train to Sapa).  I'm glad I went and I believe it is worth seeing and discovering for yourself, some people love it but Hanoi was simply not the city for me.

To the 10 ladies I travelled with, I will never forget (I am sure neither will you ) our bitter van driver, the banana ambush, the attempted 200,000 dong rip-off trip to the train station washroom, the drive heading back into Hanoi, the restaurants that mysteriously didn't serve food or the looks we received...It all made the adventure all the more interesting ;P

What can I say

Ok, so it's been a long...no, no, no scratch that...it's been a really really long time. And I must say that I have been dreading this moment, simply because I have so much to say but it feels like I may have waited too long to write it all down. But as you all know, my procrastination has always been one of my finer qualities and I have been known to work better under pressure, so why not give it a go ;p


If you allow me to, tonight I will attempt to get over this hump, this mental blockage of sorts and move on (I'm talking blog here, of course). The trick, I've been told, is to keep it concise and to include lots of pics so that people will forgive or maybe even possibly forget your tardiness. So, lets get back on track people! Four vastly different destinations in one night, hope you can handle it.


Let's begin our journey in Hoi An

Charming, is the best possible word I can use to describe this historic town. If you come to Vietnam, this one is a must!!! Whether you go for the fashion (yes ladies, this is where you can buy inexpensive tailor made clothes that actually fit your body). Or you come to lay on the beach and take a dip in the South China Sea... ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Perhaps you will come to visit the Old Quarter (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)... the Japanese bridge, the exquisite lanterns, the magnificent art, the blissful cafes, the gentle people :)









Or you could very well come to Hoi An without any expectations what so ever, much like I did and find the one true love of your life...

Cao lầu the most delicious meal known to mankind. I was in Hoi An for less than 3 days and I had it 4 times. Trust me, it's amazing!!!  No but in all seriousness, it's a regional dish only found in this town. "Its unique taste is rumoured to be contributed by the water from an undisclosed ancient Cham well just outside of the town." (as per wikipedia, of course).

So there it is, your crash course on Hoi An. I am sad to say that I did not take many pictures during my stay here, perhaps it was because I knew I would be back or perhaps it is because I did not want to miss a single moment of my time there. I think it may have been a little bit of both.
Oh beautiful Hoi An, first place to steal my heart in Nam :)

I can not take credit for the last three photographs (though I wish I could). This, my friends, is the brilliant work of Miss Amrita Singh, spectacular!     http://www.amritasinghart.com/

from the beach to the mountains

Beachtown, sand dunes and a holy mountain... not bad for our first long weekend away!

The six hour bus ride to Phan Thiet was worth every agonizing minute we spent stuck in downtown Ho Chi Minh city traffic! Can you believe it can take up to two hours to get out of this city??? It is simply a huge and overly chaotic city. But once we left the concrete jungle we now call home, all I could think about was how excited I was to finally see the beach I had been reading about in travel guides for months... Mui Ne beach and those beautiful sand dunes! As we drove in, I was surprised to see the abundance of five star resorts that lined the coast. Beautiful resorts one after the other, after the other, after... well you get it, I assume ;) Anyhow, it was not exactly what I had expected but beautiful none the less. Finally, we drove up to our quaint little hotel and were shown to our rooms... Wawaweewa! A small little pool side bungalow right beside the beach and lush trees everywhere you looked. I was in heaven, clearly!

I quickly remembered that Mui Ne was much more than just a beautiful beachtown, it had sand dunes!!! Red and white ones :)  So the next day, we arranged to have our bus driver take us to see these amazing sand dunes, described by many travel books as a beachside Sahara.  First we would start with the red ones in order to catch the sunset at the even more beautiful white ones (following the advice of a few wise friends, of course) They did not disappoint!  What a sight, simply amazing.  After walking around and marveling at these amazing red sand dunes and trying to avoid the VERY pushy children trying to sell you a crazy carpet ride down these sand lovers delights, we got back on our bus (covered in red sand mind you, a fact I do not think our driver appreciated very much). 

We then proceeded to drive a few kilometers down the coastline and arrived at Lotus Lake, a simple beauty surrounded by the most magnificent white sand dunes.  No pushy children selling crazy carpet rides, rather here you could rent a 4 wheeler and explore the sand dunes to your hearts content.  So ride we did! And then it happened...

Sunset.  See for yourself :)

Bet you thought I was done!!! Well not quite... The next day was just as spectacular.  Got up and got on a motorbike for a 50 km drive. Followed the coastline and headed for the mountains, destination Ta Cu Mountain.  My driver, who did not speak a word of English (a fact that I very much appreciated at 7:00 in the morning, and if you know me you know exactly why) seemed a little pressed for time.  But I did not mind the crazy ride at all, it was far better than the average 40km/h rides I  had experienced in the city. The ride was much faster, thank goodness because I don't think my butt could have handled another minute! Seriously!!! 

Enter the holy mountain... perfect timing! You see, Ta Cu Mountain is home to a white Reclining Buddha, a 160 ft (49m) Buddha!!!  Rumoured to be the largest in Vietnam. Spectacular... really there are no other words to describe it. All you need to know is that I got there early and beat the crowds (I believe a few million tourist were arriving as I left the mountain) the view was... well, incredible and the energy, undeniable!

Here is but a fragment of what I experienced. Wish you would have been there with me, miss you xoxo  Talk soon :)

  

Let me leave you with this (signs my friends, signs are everywhere)... This is what I saw when I turned my back on the Reclining Buddha. I found it in naturally etched in a tree that faces the serene face of  Buddha. Funny how you must turn your back on one in order to see the other.  One watches as the other one rests...

 Which would you choose? 

Good morning Vietnam

Sorry I've been away so long, again. Things move quickly here, so let me fill you in on the past few weeks. My first blog will be about my visit to the War Remnants Museum, this will be brief because no words can accurately describe what I saw or how I felt when I was there. 

The war I saw as I entered the museum that day was not the war I was accustomed to hearing about, it is not the war I had seen portrayed in so many movies back home. I am aware that it is quite possibly one-sided and that some details and events may not be depicted accurately but the fact remains that war is never the answer. I was stunned and saddened to see and to read about Agent Orange and the devastating effects it had and consequently still has on the people of Vietnam. For those of you who are not familiar with Agent Orange, it is the code name for one of the chemical herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military from 1962 to 1971. It is estimated that of 75 million litres were sprayed over parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 people being killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange) Needless to say it was shocking and upsetting to me to be faced with the reality that chemical warfare took place in the place I now call home and this fact cannot be denied. The horrors people can inflict on one another is really mind-boggling sometimes. But as I left the museum, I made a conscious effort to leave with a positive outlook... this museum is not about living in the past, it is (as it says in its brochure) "a call to the public to say no to war - yes to peace..." to learn from our mistakes. And what really astounds me about the Vietnamese people is their ability to forgive and to move forward, to re-build and to love. They could very easily be resentful (and with reason) towards foreigners but instead they are kind, helpful and caring. Everyday I am greeted by their smiles and their warmth even if I do not speak their language or look like they do. They are survivors and an inspiration in the truest sense of the word.

Buddhist haven

Sorry I've been away for a while... ah the joys of trying to get internet connected in a foreign country! T.I.V = This is Vietnam!

So let me fill you in, I've finally moved in to my new place and I love it! Probably because the day I moved in my landlady Mai, a practicing buddhist, preformed a cleansing ritual to purify my home of toxins and to ward off any lingering spirits. She put out offerings in the hallway and then proceeded to burn a mixture of herbs and salt (and what I believe to be lighter fluid) in every room of my new home. She also knelt down and prayed a number of times during this ritual, it was absolutely amazing! But what was even more amazing is what happened next.

After seeing how amazingly curious I was about this ritual,  my real estate agent James informed me that he was attending temple that day at 5:00 and that he would love to bring me if I was interested. Interested??? Are you kidding??? I was so excited, I could hardly wait! I agreed to meet him at 3:30 since we had a 40km motorbike ride ahead of us, yes I said it... MOTORBIKE!!! Since about 5 million people drive motorbikes in Saigon we needed to get me a helmet and asap, so we drove a few kilometers, got a sidewalk oil change, bought myself a helmet and we were on our way. Now for everyone who has never seen footage of the motorbike traffic in Vietnam all I have to say is that from the sidewalk (the outside looking in) it looks like pure crazy and you fear for their lives and your own. But as I soon realized it is much safer than it looks, it's much like traveling in a school of fish (I imagine) just following the flow of traffic. Now where it gets tricky is when you introduce the many sharks into the school of fish, also known as the CARS!!! No texting and driving here ladies and gents!!! Focusing on a million things at once is a requirement when driving here, getting distracted is not an option, trust me....saw my life flash before my eyes a few times, thank goodness James was an excellent driver. (This pic was taken from inside the safety of a taxi, not sure I felt safe taking out my camera on my first motorbike ride...wawaweewa!)
    

So after fearing for my life a few times, I finally thought I was adjusting to riding on the back of a Motorbike...until I saw a family of four ride past me (yes, all on one bike) Amazing!!! How could anyone ever really adjust to this??? Too great for words, really.

We drove through and out of the city into a peaceful little village about 30 km out of Saigon and we arrived at the Pagoda shortly after five (we of course had to stop by the side of the road for some yummy coconut water). Needless to say, because I went with a local I was the only foreigner and all eyes were on me as we arrived a few minutes late. We quickly took our place among the crowd and as I looked around in amazement the chanting began, WOW! It was beautiful, and no words can do it justice, so I won't even attempt to.  After the ceremony, James introduced me to the Master Monk and he invited us to stay for dinner, which we did. The whole day was really just amazing and I feel so lucky to have been a part of it, it was truly one of the best days I've had...

The night time drive back into Ho Chi Minh was unreal...the lights, the noise, the utter chaos, what a contrast from a temple in the country side.  Oh Vietnam, you amaze me!

Almost straight out of a movie. Julia eat your heart out ;p
(Sorry no pictures of the temple, thought that would have been a little... well, you know)

Talk soon

T xox

Not in Kansas anymore

Well what can I say, red slippers anyone??? Is this real life???

I think that is the way I would describe my culture shock if I had to.  My first day here was a difficult one to say the least, I may or may not have had more than one breakdown but I was assured by a fellow teacher that arrived the previous day that things would get better.  Get better? Really, could it possibly get any worse? I wanted to buy the next ticket home and was willing to deal with another 24 hours in transit if I had to. You see, the poverty here is at times disheartening and I do not believe I was ready for it at all.  But in all fairness my fellow teacher was right, I got a good night sleep to get rid of my jet lag and guess what...The second day was a little better and the third day even better than the last. This is my fourth day in Ho Chi Minh and I must say I am happy I did not get back on that plane. In my short time here, I have managed to figure out how across the street without getting run over by one of the million motorbikes, I found out that a rain poncho may be the best fashion statement I ever make here. And most importantly I have found out that the sign outside my hotel balcony wasn`t actually a sign from god telling me that that I should pack my bags and run like the wind. Would you believe that the sign outside my balcony actually says "Phuc Dat" but when translated actually means "Happy Land"... How Phuc-ing great is that :)

Talk soon xox

So I lied

I said my next post would be from Vietnam but it appears I lied. As I sit here, at the Toronto airport, I find myself wondering "What was I thinking???" Leaving everything and everyone I love behind to move to a foreign country where I don't even speak the language...Yikes!!! But in all seriousness, I do believe that I am beginning a journey that will help me appreciate home more than I ever could have if I didn't take this risk. I can't wait to share my travels, my experiences and my thoughts with all the people I love so dearly. Although I haven't left yet I miss you all so much but I AM bringing you all along with me. Thanks for all your support and well wishes, without which I don't believe I would have the courage to take the plunge. Talk soon, goodnight :)

Nikokunda,

Tanya (aka T-rex, Sandals, Toupie, Nellie, Tans, Tunner, T-money, T) Lol, you know who you are!

See you on the flipside!

Well, I'm all packed and ready to go.

My next post will be from Vietnam!

Let my journey begin